Background
Leishmaniasis, mainly cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), is endemic in Israel. In recent years, the diagnosis of leishmaniasis has transitioned to a molecular diagnosis.
Conclusions
The mean annual number of cases during these years is ~700. The dominant species is L. (L.) major. Since 2020, cutaneous L. (L.) infantum is an emerging infection in Israel.
Methods
A retrospective study was performed of patients diagnosed with leishmaniasis between January 2017 and December 2022. All five medical centers in Israel in which Leishmania diagnosis is performed were included: Soroka, HaEmek, Hadassah, Rambam, and Sheba, all utilized molecular diagnostic methods. Data on the annual number of cases, species, age, and gender were retrieved.
Objective
To summarize all cases of leishmaniasis and the identified species seen in Israel based on molecular diagnosis.
Results
During the years 2017-2022, a total of 4168 cases of leishmaniasis were diagnosed, which corresponds with ~7/100,000 inhabitants. L. (L.) major and L. (L.) tropica accounted for 84% and 14%, respectively. During the years 2020-2021, L. (L.) infantum emerged as a new form of cutaneous disease [2.7% of cases during this period]. Visceral L. (L.) infantum was found in five cases. Imported New World leishmaniasis accounted for 1% of the cases. L. (L.) major affected more males (67%) while L. (L.) tropica commonly affected more children and caused more facial lesions. Conclusions: The mean annual number of cases during these years is ~700. The dominant species is L. (L.) major. Since 2020, cutaneous L. (L.) infantum is an emerging infection in Israel.